Thanks to the National Park Service, Three State Parks To Stay Open — At Least Temporarily

Three state parks slated for closure will stay open – at least for one year – under an agreement announced Oct. 6 by the National Parks Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

The parks are:

• Tomales Bay State Park, located within both Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area,
• Samuel P. Taylor State Park, located within Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and
• Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, located within Redwood National Park near Crescent City. 

The three state parks lie within the boundaries of national parks where joint federal and state agreements exist for the sharing of staff and park operation costs.

“Closure of any state park within National Park Service boundaries would likely have negative impacts on national park resources and visitor experiences, as well as negative impacts on the local economies,” said the joint press release announcing the agreement.

The one-year asgreement can be renewed indefinitely.

To cope with budget cuts of $22 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012, the state parks department created a list of up to 70 of California’s 278 parks to be closed.

The list generally includes those parks least visited and generating the least revenue.

On Oct. 5, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill allowing the state parks department to enter into up to 20 agreements with nonprofits to operate a state park that would otherwise be closed. 

“I applaud the National Park Service and the State Parks Department for working together to make this happen. This collaborative approach to work across state and federal boundaries to keep these parks open and save jobs for state parks employees is very much appreciated,” said Assemblyman Jared Huffman, the San Rafael Democrat who authored the nonprofits measure, AB 42.

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